We are here to support you during your employee's recovery and help you arrange for a safe return to work for him or her. Your worker's adjudicator or case manager will work with you, your employee and health care providers to help along the way. If you have questions at any time, please call us. We are here to help.
This page provides more information about the steps you can take to help your injured employee get back on the job sooner.
First, you need to know what your worker can do while recovering. This return-to-work information can be accessed through myWCB (if the injury has already happened) or by using Occupational Injury Service (for any injuries that may occur in the future). Both of these services ensure you have detailed information about what your worker can do while recovering. (e.g., How much can they lift? Can they bend, drive or climb?)
What is modified work?
Your participation is key to your employee's recovery—you understand your business and how your employee's injury impacts his or her ability to perform regular job duties. You may have ideas on how you can adjust your employee's job so they can return to work while recovering—this is called modified work.
Modified work can include :
- Changes in job tasks or functions. (e.g., less lifting, or bending)
- Changes in workload. (e.g., hours worked per day or the work schedule)
- Alterations to the work area and environment (e.g., work in the office, shop or front counter) or the equipment used.
- Work normally performed by others. (e.g., administrative work)
- Cross training or job shadowing.
- Work that needs to be done but you currently do not have an employee assigned to complete the work.
When considering a task as a modified work option for your worker, it is important you make sure the modified task is:
- Achievable – given your worker's injury, are they able to do the job physically.
- Safe – your modified work plan should not endanger your worker's recovery or safety, or the safety of others.
- Constructive – your modified work plan should contribute to your worker's skill development and return to full duties and not cause difficulty or additional expense to your employee. (e.g., a shift change that requires additional childcare costs)
- Productive – your worker's duties should be meaningful to your organization.
How you benefit from providing modified work
- You retain an experienced worker and reduce any additional hiring or training costs.
- You decrease your worker's time away from work and reduce costs associated with claims.
- You strengthen worker relations by showing an injury doesn't threaten job security.
- You boost worker morale.
How your worker benefits from modified work
Modified work helps your worker return to employment while recovering and provides the opportunity to continue contributing to your workplace. Through modified work, your worker will gain:
- Independence and remain self-sufficient.
- Income and job security. (They know they have a job to return to and do not have to look for another job.)
- A sense of belonging (to your company and co-workers).
- A better recovery.
Ready to develop a modified work program for your company?
More information can be found on the Formalizing a modified work program page.
